It’s 6 a.m. here in Seattle, and we’re a couple of hours away from a previously unannounced event at Amazon HQ. The agenda for the day?

“We will debut some new features and products related to the Amazon devices business,” reads the invitation in my inbox. (I’ll be liveblogging the event with my Techhnews News colleague Ben Fox Rubin and trusty photo/video ninja Tyler Lizenby.) Surprise!

Well, the predictable kind of surprise, at least. Last September, Amazon unveiled its second-gen Echo smart speaker along with a gaggle of other new Alexa gadgets, including the Echo Spot touchscreen alarm clock and the Echo Plus smart-home hub, as well as the Alexa-equipped Fire TV Cube. The September before that saw the arrival of the second-gen Echo Dot.

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Less predictable is what, exactly, we should expect to see today, because it sounds like we might see a lot. CNBC already reports that Amazon has as many as eight new Alexa gadgets planned for release this year — everything from an Echo subwoofer to an Alexa microwave (that “Echo Sub” briefly popped up on the Amazon UK website, as well, along with an Alexa smart plug for good measure). On top of that, we’ve seen leaked images of a third-gen, fabric-bodied Echo Dot that Amazon is reportedly cooking up, too.

Will all of these rumored devices make their debut? I’m guessing that at least a couple aren’t past the prototype stage yet, but then again, Amazon has made a recent habit of throwing multiple ideas at the wall at once to see what sticks. Anything is possible when you’re a trillion-dollar company, I suppose.

One prediction: Today’s event will try to shore up some of Alexa’s potential vulnerabilities in what has quickly become one of tech’s hottest categories. Amazon has to be at least slightly concerned with Google’s growing presence in the rear-view mirror after the search giant overtook Amazon in smart speaker sales during the first quarter of the year.

The momentum hasn’t slowed since, with new Google Assistant-powered touchscreen devices such as the Lenovo Smart Display and the JBL Link View proving more compelling than Alexa’s touchscreen-equipped Echo Show ever has. More of those are on the way, including the LG Smart Display and perhaps even a first-party Google smart display, each of which could challenge the Echo lineup on the sound quality front, just as the king-sized Google Home Max and sweet-spot-hitting Sonos One already have.

Meanwhile, Apple has skin in the smart speaker game thanks to the HomePod, and Samsung’s voice assistant Bixby wants to muscle its way into the market, too.

With so much new competition coming for Alexa’s crown, it certainly wouldn’t be the worst time for Amazon to play some defense with a shiny new crop of Echo devices just in time for the holidays. Whatever Amazon has planned, we’ll be there in the room to share it with you in just a few hours. For now, here’s a quick rundown of what we might see outside of those other rumors.

Recent leaks suggest that Amazon might be working on a new design for the Echo Dot.

Numerama/FrAndroid

Echo Dot 3.0?

At $50, the second-gen Echo Dot is Amazon’s bestselling Alexa gadget, and that makes it the most important piece of the Alexa lineup. But last year, the full-size, second-gen Echo ditched the black and white plastic in favor of a fabric-bodied build that’s more in line with the Google Home and Home Mini smart speakers — that left the Echo Dot feeling a bit dated by comparison.

That’s one reason why I think the recent leak suggesting that Amazon is working on a third-gen, fabric-bodied Dot is probably legit. Those leaks also suggest that the new Dot would offer improved sound quality, which would help it better compete with the likable Home Mini. My question: If a new Echo Dot really is coming soon, can Amazon get the cost down any lower than $50?

Chance we see it today: 85 percent

Without new hardware or significant tweaks to the operating system, the Echo Show (right) could struggle to keep up with shiny, new Google Assistant-powered touchscreen displays from names like Lenovo.

Chris Monroe/Techhnews

A new-and-improved Echo Show?

Let’s face facts: The touchscreen-equipped Echo Show wasn’t the home run Amazon probably hoped it would be. The most expensive Alexa gadget Amazon’s ever released, the Show was positioned as the Alexa lineup’s showstopper, and interest in the device seemed high as preorders came piling in. But the visual interface felt underwhelming (and still does), and squabbles with Google over YouTube support limited a lot of its initial appeal, too. A little over a year later, you’ll regularly find the Echo Show marked down by 50 percent or more, something we haven’t seen with any of Amazon’s other Alexa gadgets.

Is Amazon cleaning house ahead of an update? I’d give it slightly better than average odds, especially given what we’ve seen from compelling new Google Assistant-powered competitors such as the Lenovo Smart Display. If those prove popular and the smart display category takes off, then Amazon will want something compelling of its own capable of coming along for the ride. The first-gen Echo Show just doesn’t feel like that device anymore, and there aren’t any third-party Alexa touchscreens that fit the bill, either. That means that the timing is right for Show 2.0 — or at the very least, some significant updates to the existing model’s user interface.

It wouldn’t be the first time Amazon revamped an Alexa gadget in short order. The original Echo Dot debuted in March of 2016 — the second-gen model arrived at half the cost just six months later and helped Amazon blunt the debut of the Google Home. Time will tell if Amazon has something similar in mind for the Echo Show today, but with Alexa’s touchscreen a step or two behind the curve at this point, I’d say the odds are decent.

Chance we see it today: 60 percent

It feels early for a third-gen Amazon Echo, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.

Ian Knighton/Techhnews

A new Echo, too?

The second-gen Amazon Echo made its debut last September — roughly three years after the introduction of the first Echo. If you think that makes for slim odds of seeing a third-gen Echo this morning, I’d say you’re probably right. With the interchangeable fabric shells and all of Alexa’s features on board, the Echo still feels current to what smart speaker shoppers are looking for — and at $100, the price still feels more or less right, too.

That said, I wouldn’t rule it out altogether. If the third-gen Echo Dot leak mentioned earlier is accurate, then it looks like Amazon’s made some tweaks to the overall Echo aesthetic. Releasing a new Echo with similar design tweaks could help keep things consistent (and keep the current Echo from feeling stale by comparison).

I could also envision Amazon releasing an updated Echo with a new hardware trick or two to help stymie Google’s momentum. The Echo Plus felt overpriced to me at $150, but its addition of a Zigbee radio for connecting with smart lights and smart locks without an extra hub is a nice feature. It would make plenty of sense in a third-gen Echo at that $100 price, particularly as Amazon shifts more of its focus to in-home delivery and smart home security. Other unique additions like a built-in motion sensor capable of turning the room’s lights on automatically when you walk in could help keep the Echo ahead, too.

Chance we see it today: 40 percent

Amazon isn’t making the battery-powered Tap Alexa speaker anymore — could a new version be on the way?

James Martin/Techhnews

The Tap strikes back?

Announced along with the Echo Dot back in 2016, Amazon’s portable, battery-powered Tap smart speaker never quite felt like a full-blooded member of Alexa’s family of devices. (The fact that it’s called the “Tap” and not “Echo Tap” certainly didn’t help matters.) But even as something of an Alexa offshoot, it still held a fair deal of appeal for folks looking for flexibility from their smart speaker, and the ability to take it with them around the house, or outside even.

The appeal of portability aside, Amazon is no longer making the Tap — instead, it’s selling off existing, refurbished stock. With lots of battery-powered competition from third-party Alexa gadgets not made by Amazon, as well as popular portability docks for the Echo Dot, Amazon might simply be sunsetting the speaker, but I also think there’s a chance that a new version is on the way. Better battery life and sound quality, or even a waterproof design that can stand up to the weather or to your pool would be nice upgrades. And finally calling it the Echo Tap would give it the pedigree it deserves as one of Amazon’s oldest Alexa gadgets.

Chance we see it today: 10 percent

Don’t be surprised if Amazon, well, surprises us. Not that they were a huge hit or anything, but no one saw Echo Buttons coming.

Techhnews

Other potential surprises

All projections aside, the odds are good that Amazon’s event this morning will include at least a surprise or two (microwaves or otherwise). After all, remember Echo Buttons and the phone-replacing Echo Connect? Both debuted last September, and no one saw either one coming.

I’m also curious to see whether Amazon has any new plans for the Ring Video Doorbell or the new Ring Alarm Security Kit, which still don’t work with Alexa in spite of the fact that Amazon bought Ring this past February. I’ve also long wondered whether or not Amazon will ever release its own Amazon Basics-type line of low-cost smart bulbs and other smart-home gadgets designed specifically for Alexa, though such a move would certainly frustrate the third-party retailers Amazon’s put so much effort into courting. With high-end, high-fidelity competition from the Apple HomePod and the Google Home Max challenging Alexa on the sound-quality front, could a better-sounding “Echo Max” be in the mix, too? Seems likely that that’s precisely what the rumored Alexa subwoofer is all about.

Beyond Alexa, there’s also room for Amazon to introduce a new Fire TV streaming device, or perhaps an update to the Kindle or Fire tablet lineups. After all, Amazon’s invitation to the event only promises “new features and products related to the Amazon devices business.” Note that you don’t see the words “Echo” or “Alexa” anywhere in there.

Heck, we’ve even heard whispers that Amazon is interested in taking a second shot at the Fire phone — though I’d peg the odds of seeing anything on that front today at less than 1 percent.

Amazon doesn’t comment on speculation about new products, but we won’t have to wait much longer until they show us the goods. Stick with Techhnews for up-to-the-minute updates live from Amazon HQ, with our liveblog coverage beginning at 10:00 a.m. PT.

Originally published Sept. 8.Update, Sept. 20: September event confirmed.

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